Only 43% of menu items at the UK’s highest-grossing restaurant chains met all their voluntary targets for sugar, salt, and calorie reduction, as set by the UK Government. These findings are published on May 5^th in a study in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Alice O’Hagan of the University of Oxford, UK, and colleagues.

Chocolate is more than a treat; it is Theobroma cacao, the "food of the gods." But our global craving for cocoa is putting a divine strain on the planet. As demand surges, tropical forests are often cleared to make room for plantations, destroying biodiversity and releasing stored carbon.

Isabella Steeley, a researcher from the University of Sheffield, is investigating a ground-breaking solution that could boost chocolate yields while fighting climate change: Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW).

"Ultra-Processed Food and Health: From Mechanisms to Actions” brought together many of the world’s leading experts to examine one of the most pressing topics in nutrition science.

The symposium convened an international group of researchers, clinicians and policy experts to explore the rapidly evolving science surrounding ultra-processed foods and their impact on human health. Discussions spanned the biological mechanisms linking ultra-processed foods to chronic disease, the gaps in available research, the role of the food environment and industry practices, and opportunities for policy and public health action.